Family of 5 'shop from home'food storage challenge...

purpleivy

dandy-candy wrote: »

What a fantastic thread, I'm going to read it all through.
Where's D&DD now?

Wondering myself. I remembered her in the OS heroes thread.

Sayschezza

I was only thinking of her a couple of days ago. Brilliant thread such a shame she stoped posting

purpleivy

I hope D&DD's circumstances are good. In 2007 her children were 16, 12 and 9, so now28, 24 and 21? I suppose the same parameters as me just about. Mine are now 29 and 26, so in some respects our circumstances were similar.

D&DD

Blimey my shelves are a little tidier now.. Waves at PI !!
I just had a few rather challenging episodes one after t'other but I'm still breathing!!
Glad my posts have helped others that's what OS has always been about XXX

Cottage_Economy

Great to hear from you D&DD :wave:

I remember this thread from many moons ago (I lurked rather than posted) and have gone back to read it again. I have been inspired to do better.

I've not been great healthwise since Christmas and things have got out of hand. I've been relying on convenience foods and takeaways for those days when I've not had the energy to cook, and my husband has been buying his lunches for months but over the last couple of weeks I've felt much better and have more energy to get back to my moneysaving food ways.

I have three freezers in the barns full of meat (we have a smallholding with animals), a freezer in the house, a pantry full of food, fruit trees and veg beds (although not much grown this year). I've always stockpiled but I allowed my stores to overwhelm me. I'm feeling stronger and better able to cope with turning it into proper meals and preserving the fresh.

Last night I found some cheap basics chocolate in the pantry and a 1kg box of rice crispies that I got in the supermarket for £2 in the reduced section so added butter and a squirt of golden syrup to make Rice Krispie treats for DH to take to work. He was dead chuffed.

There are also nine plum crumbles in the freezer and today I picked 2lb of blackberries to make some more with our bramley apples. Also going to try making microwave meringues for tea tonight.

Thanks D&DD for starting this thread all that time ago.

D&DD

I was really touched to read your post CE bless you! I have been reading the forums here and sadly so many posters are struggling with ill health and disabilities we all need to help each other along sometimes.


I'll update a little here then lets get cracking and sort those stores!!


My lot are all grown now as PI said so now our set up is as follows
ME (bit crocked but getting there!)
OH (probably more crocked than me lol but still a postie)
DS1 has flown the coop
DS2 and DS3 are still at home. All working 'cept DS3 who remains a work in progress!!
Lost our little Lucy cat but Gizmo the wondermog is still going and nearly 20,and Rosie our shar pei is a respectable 9 years old and still snores for England..


My stores actually very similar to yours 2 x mahoosive freezers and probably three larder cupboards if you count the understairs one,kitchen one and newly snaffled top of the stairs cupboard.


First things first,I had to drag it all out I'm afraid to tell you! I did this over the course of two weeks, a little bit every day.
Sorted what was in date ,out of date but perfectly usable then stuff which sadly had to be binned. There wasn't too much waste but considering I had been flying by the seat of my pants for a few years I just bit the bullet and cleared it out.


Then came the lists..I think we all love a good list don't we
Then from this I started to see what I had in I could make meals with and started literally from there.
You can do this hun do a little as your health allows and give yourself a pat on the back when you make progress!!


Enjoy the meringues XX

Cottage_Economy

D&DD - my husband is a postie too, and I set up a massive 6-month stockpile back in 2007/8/9 to deal with all the uncertainty in the UK. DH was striking, I was self-employed at the time and the bottom fell out of my industry during the recession so I was working all the hours to earn next to nothing.

That stockpile was a godsend during this time and I've continued with it ever since.

D&#8517 wrote: »

First things first,I had to drag it all out I'm afraid to tell you! I did this over the course of two weeks, a little bit every day.
Sorted what was in date ,out of date but perfectly usable then stuff which sadly had to be binned. There wasn't too much waste but considering I had been flying by the seat of my pants for a few years I just bit the bullet and cleared it out.

Ahhhhhh...dragging it all out. Feel the fear! I've decided to start with the pantry, as that needs cleaning and organising. I was laughing as I was reading all the posts about kitchen gadgets, as I currently have 20+ kitchen gadgets stuffed in there :eek: including the infamous doughnut maker. Over half of them I don't use, mostly didn't get on with them or was gifted them without asking for them. MIL moved in with us a couple of years ago and brought her gadgets as well .

A good sort out on that front is required to give me some more space.

So, I'm happy to report last night's dinner - shepherd's pie and an eton mess type dessert - was all out of the cupboards, freezers and garden. I found the meringues a little dry (did 1 minute 20 secs on 70% power in a 900W microwave) but it just meant I had to use more cream on them. Shame that

I also made another six crumbles - apple and blackberry and plum and blackberry - for the freezer. Again, all out of the cupboards, fridge and garden.

D&DD

I'm coming to yours for tea


I hear you on the gadgets as mine are all grown men now I need less things in some ways but as their hollow legs grow so does the need for larger pots!! I still have to make doughnuts though some things never change.


It's been a fabulous year down here for fruit too I have been dehydrating apples non stop as my freezers are rammed with blackberries awaiting a jamming session..


I still can't lift the pressure canner yet so my great plans for the tomatoes etc has turned into gallons of freezer salsa for the time being,but I confess to being slightly addicted to it at the moment!

mumtoomany

Hello, "old friend". Lovely to see you back. This was one of the first threads I followed upon joining MSE. Glad you and all yours are well. I am trying to eat through the freezers and store cupboards now too, as we are waiting for a huge car repair bill and are living on a tiny income, having decided to live the dream. Some of my children have flown the nest, but another has returned, also 3 grandchildren living here so 8 to feed most days. Please continue to inspire us all, mumtoomany.

D&DD

It's so lovely to hear everyones news so much has happened since I last was here ooh grandbabies Mum that'll keep you young!! I've had an 'extra' here for the past two years or so and boy did we notice it with the bills and food etc.. I fell back on to a lot of the storecupboard recipes as it was the only way to pad out the food without going totally bankrupt.


The pizza dough recipe in the panny book is brilliant for when you are pushed for time (and pennies) and most people adore pizza so that may help feeding such a large gathering?
The other recipe I still use when I have more time is this one
14 oz strong flour
sachet of easybake yeast
8 0z water
2 tbls of olive oil (nice if you have a chilli one!)
and a pinch of salt
Chuck it in whatever mixer you have or bribe any handy kids/grandkids who want to help


I made some pioneer woman apple dumplings today (tweaked a bit) I pinched her idea as I had some OOD croissant dough I wanted to use up so stewed up a few of our apples with a bit of cinnamon and sugar and dropped a splodge on the dough then rolled them up. She coated hers with butter and sugar but I just sprinkled a little Demerara on top,they're a bit too nice tho lol


I'm currently trying valiantly to rotate through my flour mountain which is in date but needs a really good refresh to get some newer stuff in *just in case*


I also need to use some of the rhubarb that's in the freezer so thinking the rhubarb crumble muffins from BBC Good Food mag plus a serious crumbling session thanks to Cottage making me dribble with her list!